Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 17

DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE McCain misses event here -rr Arizona senator unable to attend fundraiser for Reynolds. Page 3B SECTION 2B DEATHS 3B LOCAL NEWS SB STATE NEWS ROCHESTER, NEW YORK DemocratandChronicle.com SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006 Superintendent to get $87,000 pension while working in Boston. Rivera, who originally announced that his retirement from Rochester schools would be 90 days after denying he had an interest in leaving Rochester, or that he was a finalist in Boston. 0 I Rivera's decision to change his retirement date will not likely quell discussion that Rivera carefully calculated his exit from Rochester to Boston. "People can be July 10, is changing that date to July 30, so he's no longer retiring one day after he becomes eligible for state retirement benefits.

On Sept. 22, Rivera announced he had accepted the ment will have worked in Rochester schools from 1975 to 1994, and again from 2002 to 2007, estimates that with additional allowable credits, he'll have 25 years of pension eligibility by the New York State Teachers Retirement System. The retirement system will review and verify Rivera's service record and determine the final retirement benefit amount. Retiring in New York and working in Massachusetts in no way affects Rivera's retirement eligibility. Boston," said Rivera.

"It was a couple of months later, after thinking this through, and thinking about the opportunity to get closer to New England and my family. What I said is what it is." One decision he's yet to make is when to file for retirement benefits from the New York state retirement system. "I'm uncertain as to whether or not I'm actually going to retire from both the City School District and the New York state system," he said. Rivera, who at retire and the salary he seeks for his new job will at least match his $230,000 annual salary in Rochester. "I'm going to a big city.

I expect to negotiate a better contract," Rivera said. Rivera will meet with the committee for preliminary talks this weekend. An attorney will represent him in future talks before the school committee. "I will not be directly involved in negotiating my contract," he said. GARY MCLEND0N STAFF WRITER Schools Superintendent Manuel Rivera begins salary negotiations with the Boston School Committee today for the job he'll take next year heading Boston schools.

No salary range has been publicly discussed. However, two things are certain: The day Rivera leaves Rochester, he'll be eligible for about $87,000 a year in retirement benefits; Rivera lieve what they want to believe," Rivera said. "I have been forthright in this process. I told this headhunter (earlier this year) I had no interest in Boston. I told the folks in Boston job.

He has family in the Boston area and cited family reasons for the job change. The decision to leave Rochester came less than RIVERA, PAGE 2 LOOKING UP TO ONE OF AMERICA'S FINEST Ex-cop faces 4 counts inDWI fatality FERNANDO DIAZ STAFF WRITER A former Monroe County sheriff's deputy who allegedly was driving while intoxicated in a fatal accident in September now faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter. A grand jury handed up a four-count indictment Friday naming James R. Tel-ban 44, J(. Ufh0 11m .1 4f WILL YURMAN staff photographer Maggie Brown, 7, a second-grader at Schlegel Road Elementary in Webster, and her classmates give their full attention to an in-person visit Friday from class pen pal Army Staff Sgt.

Bryant Locke, 24. Locke, son of class teacher Wendy Locke, has served four tours in Afghanistan and is scheduled for another overseas deployment in March. NEWS BEAT One man shot, another cut Rochester police are investigating an incident at 1243 Norton St. that ended with one man shot and another suffering a laceration to his face. Police Lt.

John Corbelli said an argument led to one of the men having a bottle broken on his head and another man suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. The men were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment. Corbelli said police were still investigating the incident late Friday night. Boy found safe after bus error Rochester police located a 5-year-old boy about 90 minutes after he was scheduled to arrive home after officials at his school put him on the wrong bus. The boy, a student at Flower City School (54) on Brooks Avenue, was found at the school about 530 p.m., where the bus driver brought him after discovering the boy was on the wrong bus.

The boy was due home at 4 p.m., said police Sgt. Joseph Graham. "He was on the wrong bus, so mom was pretty upset," Graham said. Men steal $400 from woman A couple of men posing as city Water Department employees stole more than $400 Wednesday from a 91-year-old woman, Rochester police said Friday. The woman told police that two white men knocked on her door and said they were checking water in the neighborhood because of reports that it was yellow.

One of the men went with the woman to inspect her water heater in the basement while the other suspect allegedly pilfered the cash from her purse. Rochester police have advised residents that when someone presents himself as a city employee, identification should be requested. If there is any question as to the person's legitimacy, police have suggested calling the service provider or 911. Two accused in rape of teen Two men have been arrested by the Ontario County Sheriff's Office for allegedly raping an underage girl. Luke Blundell, 18, of Victor was charged with rape in the second degree Thursday and remanded to the Ontario County Jail with a $10,000 bail.

Paul Minguela, 29, of Manchester was charged with first-degree sexual abuse in the first degree Friday and sent to the jail with a $2,500 bail. Both men were still in custody as of Friday evening. For more News beat, turn to Page 2B. THINGS TO DO International Art Exhibition by the Rochester Art Club and the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto: 5 to 7 p.m. today.

Opening reception. Free. Arts Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, 277 N. Goodman St. www.arts rochester.org.

For more events, see Things to Do on Page 6C. of Greece on one count of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of driving while VA. psychiatric unit will close JL 0 Telban tTUi. i dLiuc piuiain ai auanuaigua, JAMES GOODMAN the mprliral rpntpr rpll JAMES GOODMAN the medical center tells of a acute psychiatric patients in Buffalo and Syracuse is a bad idea for Rochester-area veterans, said Ellen Warren, vice president of development for the local Veterans Outreach Center. "We need to keep people in their community so that we can work with them," Warren said.

She said that the importance of community-based treatment was underscored by the New York State Temporary Commission on Vietnam Veterans, in a report issued more than three decades ago. Sen. Hillary Clinton, Friday wrote Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson, urging him to de- What's at stake Proper care for veterans. The Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center is soon expected to close its acute psychiatric unit. Advocates worry that services will suffer.

staff of 16, Ryan said. None of the employees would be laid off. Ken Moore, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20, said that, with so many veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress, the V.A. should not close the unit. "We should be increasing services," said Moore, 54, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Hilton.

and one count of failure to yield, said Monroe County District Attorney Michael Green. Telban was arrested Sept. 6 after his vehicle collided with motorcyclist Peter Volkmuth, 27, on West Ridge Road in Parma. It was later learned that Tel-ban's blood-alcohol content was three times higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Telban pleaded not guilty to initial charges in Parma Town Court.

A member of the Sheriff's Office for 19 years, he resigned on Sept. 14. His license has been revoked. Telban's lawyer, Joseph Damelio, could not immediately be reached. FDIAZlgDemocratandChronicle.com The acute unit is meant for vets who are in a crisis situation, such as being suicidal.

Patients in this unit, Ryan said, are typically there for about 10 days. Any patient in the unit when it closes would go to V.A. facilities in Buffalo and Syracuse, where Ryan said that V.A. hospitals are equipped to treat psychiatric patients who also need intensive medical services. But it's unclear what will happen to local veterans in a mental crisis situation and in need of immediate attention.

"We will refer them, hopefully, to some place locally, just as a person who comes now with a medical crisis," Ryan said. Having the V.A treat November closing date. The memo, obtained by the Democrat and that phaseout of the unit will begin in November, with "closure of the program and reassignment of aligned staff by Nov. 30." Ryan said that he has not seen the memo and that the closing date would come from high-ranking officials. The decision to close that unit, Ryan said, was made in May 2004 by Anthony Principi, who was then V.A.

secretary. Currently, eight patients are in the acute psychiatric unit, which has a full-time STAFF WRITER CANANDAIGUA A unit in the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center that serves patients with the most serious mental problems will close at the end of November. Dan Ryan, a spokesman for the V.A, would only say that the closure of this unit could be connected with the opening of a new 22-bed psychiatric unit for patients with less serious psychological problems. But an Oct. 11 memo from Sharlene Sacco, who manages behavioral services, to a union official at V.A..PAGE5B I lie lollou mil story contains an error.

DraKrt-Qnnride AvwMLxuun pae ionows 1 1 tale toia with pen in hand stirs lovely, cursive memories 1 A day in the life Irondequoit CONNECTIONS JIM MEMM0TT Contact him at: 55 Exchange Blvd. Rochester, NY 14614 (585) 258-2270 imemmottoDemocratandChronicle.com iiwii)Mlll 1---t rnim-l irniM 'si tf First-ever contest To enter the first-ever Connections Cursive Contest, simply send a handwritten note explaining how you learned to write in cursive and why you still do. Entries should be addressed to Jim Memmott, Democrat and Chronicle, 55 Exchange Blvd. Rochester, N.Y. 14454.

Five winners judged on style and content will receive a coveted Democrat and Chronicle mug. Contest closes Nov. 10. voyage she took from England to the United States during World War II on the passenger ship Aquitania. The voyage was successful, though there were scary moments and odd moments, as crew and passengers worried about German submarines.

"One day two large black objects appeared on the horizon," Margaret wrote. "At shouts of 'Man the everyone was running in all directions when the objects started spouting. Whales." The whales caused no problem; submarines didn't attack; Margaret ANNETTE LEIN staff photographer The Animal Service League in Irondequoit offers a relaxing atmosphere for cats waiting to be adopted. Coming Sunday When was the last time you got a handwritten, personal letter? Chances are, in this age of e-mail and instant messaging, your mailbox has been filled with everything but first-class mail that actually is first class, in style and in content. Which is why I overreacted the other day to a letter from Margaret Cronotti, who is 90 and lives in Henrietta.

The letter has inspired me to announce our first-ever "Connections Cursive Contest." With luck, the contest explained in an accompanying box will inspire a regionwide renaissance of the handwritten note. Or not. Written in a clear and lovely hand, Margaret's letter to me was prompted by a column I had written about Dorothy Perkins Silver, a A day in the life of Irondequoit. A report on the people and places in a community that cherishes its access to water on three sides, its good schools and friendly neighborhoods. All of this and a visit with boxing champion Carmen Basilio, as well.

EAST MEETS WEST Students from two districts talk of their similarities, differences. ON THE WEB Go to DemocratandChronicle.com for features such as an audio slide show, photo gallery, quiz, history and computer wallpaper. ON 13WHAM News At 6 p.m., a report from Irondequoit. COMING UP Loving life on Bunny Run Residents of Bunny Run in Ogden say they love their neighborhood. In Monday's Democrat and Chronicle KRIS J.

MURANTE staff photographer Margaret Cronotti, 90, at her Henrietta home in her "little corner of the world" where she does her writing. Rochester woman who had survived the torpedoing and sinking of a passenger ship in 1940. CURSIVE, PAGE 2 In her letter, Margaret detailed a.